Children's Bureau Discretionary Grants

The Child Welfare Community Collaborations (CWCC) cluster consists of 13 5-year cooperative agreements funded in 2018 and 2019. The projects aim to support the development, implementation, and evaluation of strategies to strengthen families, particularly those at high risk for child maltreatment. The goal is to enhance community-based primary prevention and address specific site barriers to reduce the number of referrals to child welfare agencies. 

An Introduction to the Child Welfare Community Collaborations Grantees and Strategies
Read about the Child Welfare Community Collaborations initiative, including its goals, timeline, and technical assistance; a description of each of its 13 grant recipients; and a summary of the project strategies.

Child Welfare Community Collaborations Cross-Site Process Evaluation Design and Methods
Explore the design and methods used for the cross-site process evaluation of the Community Collaborations initiative, including the evaluation's framework and guiding research questions.

Child Welfare Community Collaborations Projects at a Glance
Read brief descriptions of the 13 Community Collaborations projects. Each description includes the project’s key partners, population of focus, timeline, and local evaluation plan.

IM-18-05: Strengthening Families Through Primary Prevention of Child Maltreatment and Unnecessary Parent-Child Separation
Discover common themes and examples from Children's Bureau site visits, highlighting promising community-based primary prevention approaches for child welfare agencies.

Primary Prevention: Themes From Fiscal Year 2018 Grantee Site Visits
Explore strategies for child welfare agencies to implement primary prevention, strengthen families, and reduce child maltreatment through community-based approaches.

The National Center for Adoption Competent Mental Health Services is a 5-year cooperative agreement funded in 2023. This project focuses on building bridges between child welfare and mental health systems to help children, young adults, and families access adoption-competent mental health services. Technical assistance, training, and resources are provided to enhance mental health professionals' capacity to address the unique needs of those affected by child welfare.

Adoption Competency: A Brief Introduction
Learn about adoption competency practices, the importance of understanding this unique form of family formation, and the challenges and impacts it can have on children and families.   

Adoption Competent Mental Health Professionals: An Overview
Outlines the essential knowledge, values, and skills required for mental health professionals to support adoptive families effectively.

Invest Time and Trust in the National Center
Learn about the National Center's commitment to enhancing the competency and accessibility of mental health services for children and families involved in the child welfare system and the benefits of their technical assistance.

Overview of the Behavioral Health System in the United States
Learn how behavioral health services are offered in the United States. This resource helps professionals and families understand and navigate available services to meet their needs.

The National Quality Improvement Center on Family-Centered Reunification, a 5-year cooperative agreement funded in 2021, focuses on supporting the timely, stable, and lasting reunification of families with children in foster care and working with public and Tribal child welfare sites nationally to identify, assess, and implement promising and evidence-based practices to strengthen parent-child relationships and community connections that help reunified families have the support they need to thrive.

Family-Centered Reunification Best Practice Assessment Tool
Explore best practices for child welfare agencies to support family reunification. It includes key strategies and assessment criteria to help agencies evaluate and improve their reunification processes.

A Parents Perspective on Family-Centered Reunification Practice
Discover a parent's perspective on family-centered reunification, highlighting key strategies to support child welfare agencies in effective family reunification practices.

A Roadmap for Collaborative and Effective Evaluation in Tribal Communities
Explore a roadmap for evaluating family reunification in Tribal communities, which offers strategies to enhance child welfare practices and support Tribal families effectively.

The Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development (QIC-WD) was a 5-year cooperative agreement funded in 2016 that focused on improving outcomes for the child welfare workforce. It sought to address challenges like staff recruitment and retention, which are critical for maintaining effective child welfare services. Enhancing these outcomes ultimately benefits children and families impacted by the State and Tribal child welfare systems.

QIC-Takes      
Discover insights from QIC-WD on addressing child welfare worker turnover through data analysis and system improvements to enhance workforce stability. 

QIC-Tips
Uncover strategies from QIC-WD to help child welfare agencies reduce worker turnover through effective training, data analysis, and system improvements.

Umbrella Summaries
Discover insights from QIC-WD’s umbrella summaries on improving child welfare workforce stability through effective strategies like training, data analysis, and system improvements.

Workforce Interventions
Explore workforce interventions that address recruitment, retention, satisfaction, and agency culture to improve child welfare workforce outcomes.

The National Quality Improvement Center for Preventive Services and Interventions in Indian Country, renamed the Center for Native Child and Family Resilience (CNCFR), was a 5-year grant awarded in 2017. It sought to support child welfare prevention and intervention practices and strategies designed for American Indian/Alaska Native populations. It focused on identifying, implementing, and disseminating culturally relevant services and interventions to strengthen community and family resilience.

The Journey of Collaborative Evaluation with Tribal Communities
Highlights key lessons from evaluations of tribally led child welfare initiatives, underscoring the importance of authenticity, relationship-building, and cultural responsiveness in working with Tribal communities.

Cultural Guide for the Development of Tribal Child Welfare Products
Explore guidance for organizations, teams, and individuals collaborating with communities to develop Tribal child welfare products that honor and incorporate Tribal culture and values.

Environmental Scan
Review an environmental scan of prevention and intervention efforts to improve the quality of care for Tribal families and children in Indian Country.

Enhancing Child and Family Resilience in Indian Country: Lessons From the Literature
Learn how refining practices, behaviors, languages, and attitudes at the Center for Native Child and Family Resilience enhanced outcomes for the center, its partners, and the communities it works with.

Starting the Journey: Initial Considerations for Researchers Working in Indigenous Communities
Discover key considerations for researchers working with Indigenous communities. Learn about four key concepts for this work: sovereignty, reciprocity, relationship building, and permission.

Lessons Learned
Learn how to improve the efforts of researchers and service providers working with Tribes. The Center’s lessons emphasize how culturally relevant practices and community partnerships enhance child welfare and evaluation in Tribal communities.

Literature Review
Explore practices that have been used in Tribal communities to address child maltreatment, with an emphasis on programs and interventions that were created or adapted by Tribes or that showed promise for adaptation.

The Quality Improvement Center on Engaging Youth in Finding Permanency (QIC-EY) is a 5-year cooperative agreement funded in 2021. It seeks to advance child welfare programs and practices by helping youth authentically engage and take the lead in their permanency decisions. Through collaboration with pilot sites, the focus is on implementing systemic changes that build trusting relationships, use trauma-informed approaches, and involve youth as partners in decision-making.

QIC-EY NOW
Watch and listen to real-life stories, examples, and tips that bring the competencies and characteristics that drive authentic engagement to life.

From Passenger to Pilot: The Importance of Empowering Children and Youth
Listen to youths' perspectives and experiences of the child welfare system, including the trauma, loss, and powerlessness they felt and the potential impact of authentic engagement and listening.